Washington, D.C. -- The United States Conference of City Human Services Officials (USCCHSO), an affiliate of The United States Conference of Mayors, will hold a joint press conference with officials from the U. S. Census, to discuss the Conference of Mayors' involvement in the Census 2000 promotional campaign, How America Knows What America Needs, and, in particular, how census data directly impact vital city human services.

LaVerne Collins
Assistant to the Associate Director for Communications
U.S. Census Bureau

The impact of Census 2000 on the future of city human services, such as education, day care, health care and welfare-to-work services, will be a major topic at USCCHSO's 24th Annual Meeting. Census Bureau officials will join city human services professionals - those who provide assistance directly to children and families, the elderly and the homeless - to discuss the importance of Census 2000 to their cities. Census officials also will outline methods that city and human services officials can utilize to encourage households to cooperate with local census takers during the "non-response follow-up" phase of Census 2000.

"As human services officials, we know first-hand how critical census data are to ensuring the provision of essential local programs and services for communities nationwide," said Willa Lister, President, of the U. S. Conference of City Human Services Officials. "Human services officials have direct contact with traditionally undercounted populations and can explain the importance of an accurate census count and emphasize the confidentiality of census data."